


so two single dads walk into school (stop me if you've heard this one before)

by avatays



Series: Zukka Single Dads AU [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Crack Treated Seriously, Fluff and Crack, Gay Zuko (Avatar), M/M, Minor Aang/Katara, Minor Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Past Jet/Zuko (Avatar), Past Sokka/Yue (Avatar), Some Humor, Some angst, angst because yue still died and sokka experiences that Heart Hurt(tm), izumi is zuko mai and ty lee's daughter, just go with me on this, just go with me on this all right?, senna (korra's mom) is sokka and yue's daughter, so basically ignore the time line of when you think that the gaang's kids were born, varrick is sokka and yue's son
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:42:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27629027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avatays/pseuds/avatays
Summary: “Mr. Amaruq - ”“Sokka,” he interrupted. “Just call me Sokka.”“Right.” Zuko paused. “Well, your son - ”“Can I call you something? Mr. Sozin just seems so formal.”“This is a formal meeting.”“I thought we were having a nice conversation - ”“Mr. Amaruq, your son almost set the school on fire.”-Varrick is an eight-year-old little terror, but when he goes too far with one of his experiments, his dad has to come in for a meeting with his teacher.Zuko and Sokka meet for the first time, develop some feelings, realize they have friends in common, then wonder why they hadn’t met sooner.But if their kids have anything to say about it, this meeting will lead to much more than just a vague friendship.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Zukka Single Dads AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2020577
Comments: 34
Kudos: 392





	so two single dads walk into school (stop me if you've heard this one before)

**Author's Note:**

> so i'm not sure who came up with the headcanon that senna (korra's mom) and varrick are sokka's kids, but i love it and accept it as canon.  
> last night, i saw a john mulaney meme made by twitter user @korrasragnarok that said that izumi, senna and varrick are all zukka kids and i fucking ran with it.  
> i also workshopped this crackhead idea with ao3 user @grassdust who then told me to actually write it once it somehow developed an actual plot instead of just being jokes back and forth, so everyone say thank you to morgan.  
> please enjoy the gaang's kids being chaotic because sokka doesn't remember how to flirt with people and zuko doesn’t know how to properly process his emotions. (but they’re both doing their best.)

Sokka was running late — as usual. But this time he was trying to find Varrick’s classroom. He had gotten a call that Varrick had been in an accident at school, and his teacher had said “no one’s hurt, but we’re going to need you to come down to get him.”

Sokka slid through the open classroom door, and his eyes immediately found Varrick. The classroom was empty, as was the rest of the building, save for a few teachers and students milling about for after school activities. 

Varrick turned around, his hair sticking up at odd angles, but with a wide, toothy grin on his face as he ran to Sokka. “Dad! Finally! I can show you what I did in class today!” He latched onto his father’s leg, and didn’t let go even when Sokka started walking again.

Sokka finally looked at the only other person in the room, and he paused. He looked the man up and down. _This_ was his son’s teacher? Sure, he looked like a professional, but he was dressed like he was going to be on the cover of vogue. His eyes flickered from the long hair up in a bun, to the scar that marred one side of his face, and then down to his exposed, muscled forearms and — _nope,_ he was not allowing his eyes to go any lower, he was going to stop right there. He met the teacher’s eyes again. The man was looking him up and down with an unreadable expression on his face. 

“Uh, I assume you’re Mr. Sozin?” Sokka asked when the silence became too much. 

“Huh? Oh, right!” He blushed and held out his hand. “Nice to officially meet you, Mr. Amaruq.”

Sokka shook it. “Likewise.”

Varrick grinned at his teacher. “Do you know what my last name means?”

“No, Varrick, I don’t think I do.”

“It translates to ‘gray wolf,’ doesn’t it, Dad?” 

“You got it, champ — ”

“Mom’s surname was Tarkik — it means moon.”

Sokka held back a flinch. “Var...”

“Oh, should I be expecting your wife as well?” Mr. Sozin inquired, looking at Sokka. “We can wait a little longer if she’s still on her way — ”

“No, Mom died,” Varrick said nonchalantly.

Mr. Sozin’s face paled. “Ah, yes... well...”

“Varrick,” Sokka said with a heavy sigh. “That’s not something you tell strangers.”

“He’s not a stranger, I see him five times a week. He’s my friend! Right, Zuko?” 

Mr. Sozin pulled a face. “Maybe don’t call me by my first name in the classroom. Let’s just... Mr. Amaruq, why don’t you take a seat?”

Varrick skipped over to his desk in the front row. Sokka stared at the small desk next to his son’s for a brief moment, then looked up at Zuko with a questioning expression. 

Zuko flushed and stammered, “Or, just stand if you won’t fit. Just... stand there.” He paused while Sokka sat down on top of the desk, avoiding the little chair all together, as he casually looked around at all the posters that lined the walls. “So, Mr. Amaruq — ”

“Sokka,” he interrupted. “Just call me Sokka.”

“Right.” Mr. Sozin paused. “Well, your son — ”

“Can I call you Zuko? Mr. Sozin just seems so formal.”

Zuko scowled. “This is a formal meeting.”

“Aw, but I thought we were having a nice conversation — ”

“Mr. Amaruq, your son almost set the school on fire.”

Sokka looked at Varrick, who was feigning innocence, then back to Zuko. “So, what exactly happened? Everything looks okay, you said on the phone no one was hurt, what’d he do?”

“Your son managed to sneak into the High School science lab, and he started mixing beakers and chemicals with no regard for what they would do, and _without_ safety goggles — ”

“I knew what I was doing,” Varrick grumbled. “I had the formula right next to me, but it just... blew up a little bit.”

“Well, what were you _trying_ to do?” Sokka asked. 

“I was trying to figure out a way to turn carbon dioxide into water. It sounds impossible, but the impossible is just the possible that hasn’t been learned yet — ”

Sokka sighed. “You’ve been hanging around your Aunt Toph too much.” He turned back to Zuko. “How much did he blow up?”

“It was only a desk and a few beakers, but Mr. Amaruq, we can’t allow this behavior,” Zuko said with a frown. “He blatantly ignored several school rules, he broke into the High School lab — which is _locked,_ by the way, he snuck in through a _window_ — and was messing with chemicals; he could have seriously hurt himself or someone else. I don’t know if either of you grasp the severity of the situation.”

“I understand,” Sokka said, holds his palms up in surrender. “He and I will definitely be having a talk when we get home... Huh, I’ll have to figure out how to ground someone, I’ve never had to do it before.”

Varrick spluttered, “But Dad, I was just trying to be like you!” He turned to Zuko. “My Dad’s a genius by the way. He’s a rocket scientist.”

“First of all,” Sokka began. “It’s called aerospace engineering — ”

“Rockets,” Varrick interjected again.

“ — And second of all, you can’t possibly believe you can make me forget about all this with one fake compliment.”

“How many fake compliments _will_ it take for you to forget it happened then?”

“Varrick,” Sokka groaned out exasperatedly. He looked to Zuko and stood up from the desk. “I apologize, I’ll talk to him. He was trying to learn on his own, but I’ll make sure he understands that he can only do that in our own home, with his own chemistry set.”

“You gave an eight-year-old a chemistry set?” Zuko asked.

“Well, yeah, what else do you give kids that like chemistry?”

“Maybe just a _book_ on chemistry — ”

“Nah, Varrick’s a hands-on learner, and it’s not like he’s actually burned anything down yet.” He turned back to his son. “Now, what do you say?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll make sure no one’s standing in the way of progress next time I attempt to fix the world’s most substantial problem — ”

“Try again,” Sokka interrupted with a glare.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Sozin, for running away at recess and breaking into the lab. I won’t do it here again.”

Zuko sighed. “I guess that’s the best I’ll get. You’re forgiven, Varrick. But just...” He turns back to Sokka. “Make sure he understands the gravity of what he did. Varrick’s a bright kid, truthfully I only think he acts up because he’s bored in class. He’s leagues ahead of everyone else, I would recommend trying to get him moved up a grade or two. I don’t want to see him kicked out of school because of his rebellious streak that only exists due to boredom.”

“I promise, Zuko,” Varrick said. “By the way, did you know my Dad is single? And he’s rich — ”

“You need to stop saying that, you told your cousins that, and it’s weird,” Sokka huffed.

“No, he is, we’ve got a big house and there’s plenty of room for like a girlfriend... or a boyfriend... or a boyfriend who also happens to be my teacher and his daughter.”

Zuko looked taken aback, his cheeks flushed red, but he chose to latch onto the least important part of the statement. “How could you possibly know I have a daughter? I’ve never even mentioned it.”

“Izumi goes to this school, she’s got your eyes, and your last name, and your sense of humor, or lack thereof — ”

“Alright, young man,” Sokka snapped, thrusting Varrick’s backpack into his chest. “You’re definitely grounded now. That was very rude of you to say to someone.”

“Oh.” Varrick pouted. “I’m sorry, Zuko. It’s just that I noticed you don’t wear a wedding ring, and I heard Izumi say at lunch that you and your boyfriend broke up — I wasn’t eavesdropping, by the way, maybe Izumi shouldn’t talk to Kya so loudly — so I thought... I have a dad, maybe you’d like him.”

Sokka cleared his throat nervously. “That’s enough out of you,” he said, taking Varrick’s hand. “We need to get back to your sister, and if you step another toe out of line on the way out this door, you’re grounded.”

“I thought I was already grounded.”

“You’ll be _double_ grounded.” 

Varrick mimed zipping his lips shut. Sokka looked at Zuko apologetically. “Sorry, again. It was nice meeting you, Zuko — ah, Mr. Sozin.”

“Yes, you as well, Sokka.”

Sokka left quickly to ensure Varrick wouldn’t say something uncouth again.

\---

Zuko watched from his classroom’s window as Varrick and his father went out to their car, Varrick skipping along without a care in the world, and his father looking unfairly beautiful. It was incredibly disarming. 

Sokka got Varrick into the car, then went to the driver’s side. He made eye contact with Zuko through the glass, and waved with a sly smile. Zuko squeaked and ducked down. 

“Call me crazy, but I think he saw you already.”

Zuko scowled at Izumi. “I didn’t ask for your sass.”

She rolled her eyes, and set down her backpack on his desk. “Are we going home, or would you prefer to keep yearning for a while?”

“I’m not _yearning_ — ”

“Lusting then, whatever.”

Zuko’s head whipped around from the window. “Who taught you that word?!”

“Dad, I’m in sixth grade. I’m reading _Pride & Prejudice_ for a project, that book is basically _all_ about the lustful nature of yearning.”

Zuko frowned, and turned back to the window to see Sokka driving off. He sighed. “Let’s just get you to your mothers’ house.”

“Oh, so we’re just _not_ going to talk at all about what happened between you and Kya’s hot uncle? Sure, fine, if that’s the way you want it.”

“I’m sorry, _that_ was Kya’s uncle?” 

He struggled to connect the dots. He had known Aang for a long time — he had gotten to know him likely too well with how much trouble Bumi had gotten into when he had taught the eldest of Aang’s children a few years ago when he was teaching sixth graders, before he transferred to second grade. He knew Aang had some nieces and nephews at the same school, but he hadn’t thought to ask who they were. 

Turns out, he’s teaching one of them. He should have known this would happen. Just his luck.

“I mean, yeah, Kya’s one of my best friends, I’ve met her cousins before, they’re over at her place every so often,” Izumi said dismissively. “I’m glad to see he’s doing well. The last time I saw him was after the funeral — I think it was two, three years ago?”

“Whose funeral?” He asked dumbly, still staring at the parking spot.

“His wife, Kya’s aunt. Kya asked me to come for emotional support along with Lin, and we all went of course. Her aunt was really sick, it was hard on all of them when she passed. It was rough. Sokka was looking pretty beat up too — I mean, to be expected when you lose your wife and the mother of your two children that aren’t even school-aged yet. At least he’s looking much better now. He was always a handsome guy, kind of your type — ”

He glared at her. “You and Varrick, both of you are absolutely ridiculous.”

“Ah, so Varrick sees it too. I knew he was a smart kid.”

“I don’t need another boyfriend, I’m trying to — ”

“‘Focus on yourself because you guys were together for so long that now you need some time alone to reclaim your identity, blah blah blah,’ come on, Dad, I’ve heard it all before. You and Jet broke up four months ago, it’s old news. He was great, but come on, it lasted way longer than I thought it would.”

Zuko frowned. “Mai said that too. Was _I_ the only one who knew it wouldn’t last?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Izumi said with a shrug. “Now can we go? It’s family dinner night, and Mom’s going to be upset if we miss helping to actually cook.”

“Yeah, yeah, Mai’s already sent me a list of things to get on our way over. Let’s get shopping.”

\---

“You, up to your room, young man. March. I’ll call you down for dinner.”

Varrick scowled at his father’s words and made a big stink as he stomped up the stairs to his room, closing the door in a huff. Sokka sighed as he threw his keys into the bowl by the front door. 

“Daddy!” 

A smile lit up his face as Senna came running at him. The four-year-old leapt into her father’s arms with a bright smile, her hair in wild curls around her face, small braids scattered throughout. “Daddy, look! Suki did my hair!”

“I see, it looks beautiful, Princess.” He kissed her on the cheek and put her back down. “Where is Suki?”

“In here!” Suki shouted from the living room. She was putting away a curling iron and a few hair ties. She smiled when Sokka flopped down on the ground next to her, laying down on his front and burying his face into the shag carpet. “Rough day?” She asked with a smirk.

“Varrick blew up a desk or something, but I couldn’t focus — Suki, his teacher is _so hot._ Why didn’t anyone warn me?”

Suki laughed. “Oh, poor you.”

“That isn’t even the worst part! Varrick kept telling him I was single.”

“Aw, that’s so cute.”

“It was _not_ cute, it was embarrassing! How desperate does that sound? Like I need my _kid_ to get me a date? I swear, I used to have more game than this.”

“Mmm,” Suki said, laying down on the floor next to him. “You really didn’t. You were just cute and funny, so it made it _seem_ like you had game.”

Sokka pushed himself up off the floor to sit on his knees with his hands on his hips. “How dare you! I was great at flirting, I was at the top of my game, I was... I was much better than this.”

“Well, _did_ you end up asking him out?”

“What, ask out the beautiful man who was lecturing me on how my son could’ve killed someone? Yeah, that would have fit right in with the conversation we were having, great idea, Suki.”

Suki rolled her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. Sokka laid back down next to her, and they sat there in companionable silence for a few minutes.

“You know,” Suki began quietly. “Yue would want you to move on. She would want you to love again.”

“It... it still feels like it’s too soon.”

“Sokka, it’s been almost three years. I haven’t seen you with anyone during that time. Honestly, I’m worried about you. You’ve closed yourself off from dating, you’ve basically become celibate.” 

Sokka crossed his arms over his chest. “You don’t know what I do in my free time.”

“Except that I literally do,” Suki sassed. “I used to babysit whenever you and Yue went out, I know your patterns, and I know what you do when you go on a date. If you had gone on one, you would’ve panic-called me beforehand, like you always did when you and Yue first started going out.”

“I just don’t know if I can do it yet,” Sokka said softly. 

“No one’s going to make you. I know this hasn’t been easy for you and the kids.”

“It’s... it’s so hard, Suki. Senna has started asking what her mother was like, and it just reminds me that Senna will never get to know her own mother. I got nearly fifteen years with Yue, she was my friend, then girlfriend, for over half my life. And it isn’t fair that I got so much time with her, so many amazing years, but Varrick only had five. Senna didn’t even get a year, she won’t have any memories of Yue at all. It all happened so fast — I thought we’d have more time. I thought we’d have forever, and then she was gone. And I...”

“Hey, I’m sorry for bringing it up,” Suki said, grabbing his hand when she noticed the tears welling in his eyes. “I wasn’t trying to force you to date again, I know how hard it’s been. You’ve been so amazing for the kids, I just thought maybe you’d want to take some time for yourself too.”

“That’s just it. I want to date, but I’m reminded of her, all the time,” Sokka choked out, before taking a deep breath to try and steady himself. “I see her everywhere. She’s at the coffee shop down the street that she always went to before work, and she’s jumping on the bed with Varrick, and she’s dancing in the kitchen listening to ABBA, and she’s singing lullabies to Senna. Every morning when I wake up, I roll over thinking she’s going to be there, before I remember that I’m alone. It’s hard to even be in my own room, because she’s everywhere. It’s her pictures, her perfume, that blanket she loved to wrap around me when I was working too late in the study, her pillow — and I can’t get rid of any of it. Because all of those things keep her memory alive, and what if Senna and Varrick want some of her things one day? I can’t toss _anything_ , they deserve to have as much of her as they can get.”

“You don’t need to _try_ to keep her memory alive. You already do it every day. I see her impact in everything you do, and I see her in Varrick and Senna. You don’t need to feel guilty about anything, Sokka. If you need to throw some of her stuff out in order to get closure, then I’ll help you.”

“No, I don’t... I don’t want to get rid of it.”

“Maybe we can box some of the stuff up, put it in the attic,” Suki recommended, squeezing his hand. “That way, you can still go up there and get her stuff if you want to. And you won’t feel like you’re throwing out any part of her.”

Sokka mused this over, before he sighed. “Yeah. That sounds good.” He turned his head to face her. “Thank you, Suki. You know, if you liked men, I would’ve pounced on you ages ago.”

Suki snorted and pushed him playfully. “Way to ruin the moment.”

He heard little footsteps padding into the room. Sokka looked up to see Senna at the doorway. “Why is Daddy on the floor?” She asked, cocking her head in confusion. 

“I don’t know, I think he wants you to jump on him,” Suki said with a smirk.

“Wait — ”

Sokka was cut off as Senna jumped on top of him with a high-pitched squeal, her knees hitting his abdomen. “Fuuu-dge. Fudge, that’s what I was going to say,” he let out breathlessly. “Senna, never listen to your Aunt Suki, she’s a bad influence.”

Suki simply laughed in response. 

“You age me, I need you to know that,” he said as he sat up, holding Senna like a doll under one arm as she squealed in delight.

“Aw, what a shame, I’m sure Varrick’s teacher doesn’t want to date an old man — ”

“SUKI!”

\---

“Zuko! Hey, buddy!” 

Zuko returned Aang’s hug before he entered Aang’s country home. “Hey, Aang.”

“Thanks for coming, it’s been so long since we last caught up!” Aang gestured at the coffee table in front of him. “I made jasmine, hope that’s okay.”

Zuko smiled at the thoughtful gesture. “Sounds great.”

He took a sip of tea. Appa sat right in front of him, so he gave the big white dog some head scratches until he was content. As they sat in silence for a moment drinking their tea, Zuko could hear squealing voices around the house, obvious signs of play. “Do you have extra kids here today?” He asked. 

“Oh, yeah, my niece and nephew,” Aang said casually. “Suki normally watches them; I guess you don’t know who Suki is, but basically she moved in with Sokka, so she normally watches the kids, but he dropped them off here early this morning, said he got called into work on some emergency and Suki was busy... where was I going with this?”

“Forget it,” Zuko said, waving off the topic. He took another sip of tea, then froze, his eyes widening. “Wait, are you talking about Sokka — uh, Varrick’s father? Is Varrick here?”

“Yeah!” Aang said gleefully. “He’s playing with Tenzin — I don’t know what they’re doing, but Tenzin will keep him in line, I’m sure. And Senna’s... I’m not sure where Senna is, probably with Katara, she absolutely adores her — I mean, who wouldn’t, right?”

“I met Sokka for the first time a few days ago,” Zuko began carefully. “Izumi mentioned that she had gone with Kya to his wife’s funeral when she passed a few years back — I’m so sorry for your loss, I hadn’t even known.”

Aang smiled and patted his hand. “I didn’t know you at the time, it’s alright. Izumi has always been wonderful to have around, and it was so kind of her to come to the funeral to be with Kya that day.” Aang took a sip of tea and hummed. “How is Izumi doing, by the way?”

Zuko smiled. “She’s been great.”

“And Mai and Ty Lee?”

“Also great. Their thirteen year anniversary is coming up, you know.”

“Has it really been that long? The passage of time truly does tread onward against our own wishes,” Aang laughed. “It’s mind-boggling to look back on when our kids were babies. Blows your mind to see how much they’ve grown, become their own person.”

Zuko couldn’t help the large grin that only grew on his face. He could still remember the day that Mai and Ty Lee had approached him about having a child. 

Raising Izumi alongside Mai and Ty Lee had been the best experience of his life, and he wouldn't trade it for anything. But still, he longed for a love like Mai and Ty Lee’s. Sure, he had thought he had it with Jet, but when he looked back on it, he figured he probably just fooled himself into believing it. Mai had told him at family dinner the other night that he needed a “long haul partner,” someone that he could see a long future with, maybe even having more kids.

When she told him that, involuntarily, an image of Sokka had appeared in his mind. Maybe he had just been surprised by the appearance of Varrick’s dad because he looked exactly like Zuko’s type on paper, what with the bone choker, the dark hair pulled back with a few intricately painted blue beads braided into it, flawless dark skin and the peeking of a tattoo on his bicep visible through the thin material of his shirt — but it went far deeper than that.

Sokka was beautiful, intelligent, and a good father — despite how lenient he seemed to be when his child blew things up. (“Blowing things up is a part of science!” Varrick had said in his own defense before his father had shown up.)

But he couldn’t make a move, not after Izumi had told him about the loss of his wife. Sure, Varrick had hinted that his father wasn’t straight — although ‘hinted’ was putting it lightly, he had practically shouted it — but Sokka’s wife had only passed two or three years ago. He wasn’t sure how long it took to feel ready to move on from something like that, especially from such a long illness that had taken a toll on their whole family. He wasn’t going to ruin the tentative friendliness that they have right now by asking him out, not when the chances were that he wasn’t ready to start dating yet. Things would get awkward after that, and knowing Varrick’s streak, he would be meeting Sokka again sometime.

“You know,” Aang continued his musing. “Katara mentioned the other day she misses when the kids were babies, and I was like, ‘Well, does that mean she wants another one?’ but now I’m starting to wonder if she would just like a baby animal, like a puppy or a kitten or something.”

Zuko snickered. “Yes, I’m sure a kitten is exactly what she had in mind.”

Zuko heard a squeal, and saw a flash of brown hair fly into the room on unsteady feet. A small girl with chubby cheeks and hair in two messy braids ran around the table, before landing at his legs, grabbing onto them and giggling. He stared down at the child. “Who’s this?” He asked blankly.

Aang grinned. “Oh, that’s Senna, Varrick’s sister.”

Senna reached her arms towards Zuko. “Up?”

Zuko hesitantly picked the toddler up and placed her on the couch next to him. She decided to crawl into his lap and play with the ring on his thumb by spinning it around and smiling. 

Aang laughed and fake-pouted. “I’m her godfather _and_ her uncle, and yet she chooses to sit in the lap of a total stranger — I’m feeling a bit abandoned to be honest.”

“Oh.” Zuko realized that he _was_ a stranger holding a baby of someone he barely knew. “Should I...?” 

Aang shook his head. “Nah, she seems to like you. If she’s happy, may as well let her stay there.”

Aang was right, the baby did seem to like him. She played with the edge of his sleeve, and twirled the ring on his finger. She turned to face him, with a wide grin that showcased most of her baby teeth that had grown in. She reached up with a wobbly arm to touch the necklace he always wore with Izumi’s birthstone on it. “Pretty,” she said softly. “Pretty rock. My Daddy would like this.”

Aang laughed while Zuko sighed.

“What is it with these kids just trying to get me to date their father?” Zuko huffed. Senna continued to tug at the necklace, and he took it off from around his neck, delicately placing it in her little hands. “There, now you can play with it.”

She spun it around — and chewed on it a few times, which Zuko chose to ignore — before she reached out to show Aang, letting it dangle off her wrist as she pointed to it. “Look! Pretty!”

“It is pretty, I know,” Aang said with a smirk. “You should give it to your dad as a present when he gets back.”

Zuko scowled. “Ha ha, very funny.”

The front door opened, and Appa ran from Zuko’s feet, rushing to the front door with an excited _BOOF!_

“Hey there! Woah, down, buddy.”

Zuko froze. He knew that voice.

Sokka walked in from the foyer and stopped when he saw Zuko and Aang. “Oh! Hey, it’s you!” Sokka flashed a large smile at him, and Zuko felt his heart melt.

“Daddy!” Senna gasped, struggling to stand up and falling backwards, before Zuko caught her and held her in place so she didn’t fall forward from her height on top of his lap. 

Sokka walked over to the couch and smiled. “You’ve stolen the affection of my child, I see.” Senna reached out her arms, and Sokka plucked her from Zuko’s lap and held her. “More impressively, you got her attention enough to make her ignore Aang and Katara, that’s quite a feat.”

“Well, it hurt my feelings,” Aang said dramatically, leaning back against the chair across from them. “What will I ever do to assuage the pain of this betrayal?”

Appa took this as his cue, as he rushed into the room again and jumped onto Aang’s lap. Aang let out a huff, but smiled. “Thanks, buddy, I knew I could count on you.”

“Where’s Varrick?” Sokka asked. “It’s getting late, we should probably get home to make dinner.”

“Why leave?” Aang said. “Everyone can just stay for dinner. Besides, it’s my turn to cook.”

Sokka paused his refusal before it left his mouth. “Well, you are a better chef than my sister... alright, if it’s okay with you guys, we’ll stay.”

Aang smiled and turned to Zuko. “You’ll stay, too?”

“Ah, I don’t want to intrude,” Zuko said hesitantly. “This seems like a family meal — ”

“Hey, you’re basically family,” Aang interrupted. His eyes darted from Zuko to Sokka, like he was trying to communicate something to Zuko.

Sokka grinned at him while Senna tugged gently at the beads in his hair. “You’re already here, and the host invited you, may as well just stay.”

Zuko’s breath hitched in his throat. “Yeah... alright, I’ll stay.”

“Great!” Aang cheered. “You guys stay here, I’ll start getting the food ready.” Aang left the room quickly, whistling for Appa to follow him outside to the garden, likely to decide which vegetables to cook that day.

“Oh, do you want any — aaand he’s gone,” Sokka said. He sat down in the seat Aang previously occupied, putting Senna in his lap. He turned his attention to Zuko. “So... how are you? Varrick blow anything else up in the last few days?”

Zuko couldn’t help but smile. “Not yet, but the school year’s still pretty young.”

“Ah, that it is,” Sokka responded with a laugh. “He can’t possibly be more trouble than Bumi though.”

Zuko was quiet for a moment, before making a vague hand gesture and saying, “Eh.”

Sokka gasped. “I resent that!”

A snort came from the hallway. “Bumi and Varrick are literally mini versions of you, of course you think they’re angels.” Katara walked into the room, carrying a white cat with large ears who looked at peace with being held. 

Sokka feigned shock. “Why, I’ve never! And to think, from my own sister — ”

“I regret letting you babysit Bumi for us all the time, you know,” Katara tutted. “You rubbed off on him too much, so thanks for that.”

“You’re welcome,” Sokka responded warmly. 

Senna waved at her aunt, standing up to the edge of the chair until she managed to scramble down and grab onto Katara’s leggings. Katara smiled as she put Momo on the ground and knelt down to Senna’s level, brushing back the toddler’s messy braids. “Hello, sweet girl, I was wondering where you got off to,” she cooed, picking Senna up and spinning her. “Come on, let’s go find your brother — I’m sure he and Bumi have caused enough of a mess by now.”

Zuko and Sokka sat in silence for another moment.

“So,” Sokka began again. “Varrick mentioned you have a daughter? I’d love to hear about her.”

Ah, the old trick of getting a parent to ramble on about their kid. Always a safe choice, albeit a bit expected. Still, Zuko was never one to turn away the chance to gloat about his kid. 

“Izumi’s almost twelve. She takes after her mother in a lot of ways, they have the same dry sense of humor and stoicism, but she takes after her other mom in the way she sees the world. She always sees the possibilities in every encounter, I admire that about her.”

“Oh, Izumi has two moms?” Sokka asked, his eyebrows knit together.

“Mom? Mom! Dad? I can’t find anyone — ” Kya walked into the room, and stared at Sokka and Zuko. She waved awkwardly, pulled her phone out, and left the room in a rush.

Sokka laughed. “I guess we can’t have a moment without being interrupted... Sorry, you were saying?”

“Oh, yeah, right. Izumi’s mothers are two of my good friends from High School, and after they got married and were ready to have a child, they realized they needed a donor, seeing as they’re both cisgendered women. So they asked me to donate the sample so they could try in vitro fertilization.” He broached the subject lightly. If Sokka thought his lifestyle with Mai, Ty Lee, and Izumi was weird, then any feelings he had for Sokka would be dashed. His little family was a bit unconventional, but it was his, and he loved them more than anything. 

“That’s so cool,” Sokka said, letting out a low whistle of appreciation. “How’d you decide to do that? I mean, I got married young when I was still getting my masters and stuff, we kind of fell into having kids when we felt the time was right, I can’t imagine what I would’ve done if I hadn’t been married and a friend asked me to help them have a kid. Takes guts.”

Zuko smiled fondly. “Yeah, well, I denied them at first. I told them it was because I didn’t want to have a kid so young, but Mai knows me too well, and she knew the real reason. I didn’t have a... well, let’s just say I didn’t have a great relationship with my father, and I was kicked out of the house when I was thirteen; I lived with my uncle until I went off to college. I was afraid I’d somehow become my father if I had a child, that the cycle of abuse would continue. Eventually, I told them I’d give them the sample, but I wouldn’t be involved much after my part in the procedure. They had told me I could be as involved as much or little as I wanted, even if the amount of involvement was almost none. And that’s what I planned on doing for a long time...”

“But then?” Sokka prodded.

“But then,” Zuko continued. “They told me that the procedure had worked. I started bringing Mai snacks when she got cravings, and driving her to doctor’s appointments and ultrasounds when her wife couldn’t, and I was helping to shop for clothes and toys and... and suddenly I was involved, far more than just a friend would be.” Zuko chuckled. “It took me until the seventh month of the pregnancy when I was painting the nursery that I realized I was in too deep. So now, Izumi splits her time between me and her mothers.” He hesitated. “I know this arrangement probably sounds weird, but — ”

“I don’t think it sounds weird.”

Zuko’s eyes met Sokka’s from across the coffee table. “You don’t?”

Sokka shrugged. “It’s not that weird. You guys are a family, what else matters besides that?”

Zuko’s mouth felt dry. “I... I completely agree, I’m glad you do as well.”

“Hey, my relationship with Suki is pretty weird,” he said. “I’ve got a woman helping me raise my kids that isn’t my wife, that lives in my guest house. I’m sure people see that as pretty strange.”

“Aang mentioned Suki briefly,” Zuko responded casually. He was actually dying to know what Sokka’s relationship with this woman was. Maybe he was straight after all, and he was actually with this Suki girl, and Varrick had it all wrong to try and get them together.

“Suki was mine and my wife’s best friend all through school,” Sokka said. “She was a star athlete — she was a professional volleyball player in the summer Olympics twice, actually, she was _that_ good. But a few years back, she decided to retire and find something else to do. Suki always did tire easily of adventures, always looking for the next one,” he said fondly. “And then... Yue got sick, and things got bad fast. Suki moved into my guest house a bit before my wife passed, to help out around the house so the kids and I could spend as much time with her as possible when we knew the end was coming. But it’s been years, and Suki’s still living with us. She’s an angel, honestly, the amount of patience she has with me — just a few days ago she managed to convince me to finally move some of Yue’s things up to the attic, she even went through everything with me because she knew I would break down.”

“She sounds like an amazing friend,” Zuko said honestly.

“She is. And I know that she’s ready to move on to her next big thing, and I feel like I’m holding her back... but on the other hand, I know I’ll fall apart if she isn’t there to help me. I’ve been a single dad for a while now, but I’ve still always had Suki, who’s basically the perfect live-in aunt, and when she leaves...”

“You’ll really feel like a single dad,” Zuko finished. “I understand, I’ve always had Mai and Ty Lee to raise Izumi with me, I can’t imagine what it was like to lose your wife. But maybe you just need to expand your support group. Katara and Aang are obviously willing to help you in any way, and... I’m here too. Just know that when Suki leaves, you won’t be alone. Not really.”

Sokka’s blue eyes were teary, and he let out a dry laugh and looked up at the ceiling, blinking rapidly to shoo away his tears. He smiled. “Thanks, Zuko. Sorry for dumping all that on you.”

“I’ve been told I’m somewhat of a therapeutic presence,” Zuko admitted. “It happens.”

The doorbell rang, and Kya ran towards the door, shouting as she passed, “I’ll get it!”

The door opened and shut quickly, the chattering growing closer before Kya re-entered the room with a familiar face.

“Izumi?” Zuko said quizzically. “What are you doing here?”

Izumi smiled. “I was told we were having family dinner, but at Kya’s house. I figured I was invited.”

“Mom says you’re always invited,” Kya said, before grabbing Izumi by the wrist. “Come on, let’s go see what everyone’s up to, dinner will probably be ready soon.”

Sure enough, dinner came quickly, Aang ladling out stew for everyone, with corn and mashed potatoes as sides. (“How did he make all of this so fast?” Sokka had whispered conspiratorially to Zuko. “He’s a witch, I swear.”) 

Everyone began to eat, and Zuko continued to stare at his daughter and Kya where they sat at the table, whispering quietly to themselves. Sokka had Senna set up next to him to help her eat, and Varrick had insisted on sitting between Bumi and Tenzin. It was a crowded table, but it was companionable and comfortable. They ate in silence for a while, until Varrick cleared his throat.

“So, Zuko — may I call you Zuko, as we’re outside of the classroom?”

“You call me by my first name inside the classroom as well, but sure,” Zuko said, rolling his eyes.

“Yes, so, Zuko I have a question.” Varrick leaned forward in his chair, propping himself up on his knees to get closer to where Zuko sat across from him. “What are your intentions with my father?”

Izumi and Kya burst out laughing. Aang was trying to pretend he wasn’t laughing along with the rest of the kids, but he was failing. Katara looked away and hid a smile. Sokka sighed and buried his face in his hands.

“Varrick, you aren’t my keeper,” Sokka told him firmly.

“I just want you to know,” Varrick said defensively, clearly understanding he was toeing the line. “That if you marry my dad — ”

“Varrick!”

“ — I expect A’s on all my tests.”

“Alright, that’s enough out of you, we need to have a talk,” Sokka said, standing up and gesturing for Varrick to follow him. Varrick frowned, but did what he was told. They left the room and went outside where they were alone. 

  
Senna looked over Sokka’s vacated seat towards Zuko with mashed potatoes all over her face. She shrugged, as if to explain her brother’s behavior. Zuko shrugged back. Senna went back to her meal, and Zuko did the same.

They made casual small talk for the rest of the meal, asking Katara how the hospital was, Kya telling them how she wanted to start interning under her mother once she was old enough because she wanted to be a doctor too, and Tenzin telling the table about a book that he had just finished — but he was mainly telling Izumi, who had read the book as well.

Varrick and Sokka had come back sometime around the small talk. Varrick looked a bit scolded, but he still seemed altogether cheerful. Sokka leaned towards Zuko and whispered, “Sorry about that, he just gets... excited.” 

Zuko held back a shiver at the feeling of Sokka’s breath on his neck. Zuko responded with a standard, “It’s no problem, kids say the darndest things,” and went back to dinner.

By the time they had finished dinner, the sun had set and the moon had come out. Sokka and Zuko both announced they were going to head home, and they ended up outside at the same time, none of the kids in sight — fancy that. It was surely a coincidence and not at all orchestrated by three nosy children.

“So,” Sokka said. “I was wondering... If it’s not too forward of me... If I could call you sometime? I don’t know if this is a conflict of interest, seeing as you’re my son’s teacher, and I understand if you feel like it’s inappropriate, but — ”

“Sokka, are you asking me out?” Zuko asked, half shocked.

“I guess I’m doing it pretty poorly if you have to ask,” Sokka laughed nervously. “Let me try again. Zuko, would you want to go out sometime?”

Zuko’s heartbeat sped up. “Uh — yep, yes, I definitely want to do... that. With you.”

Sokka rewarded him with a lopsided grin. “Awesome.” 

Sokka handed Zuko his phone, and he put his number in, Sokka telling him he would text him soon. Zuko truly hoped he would.

Zuko and Izumi left first, Izumi suddenly appearing as the two men were saying their good-byes (imagine that) and she was looking quite smug on the car ride back. “So,” she began. “Guess you’ve got a date, huh?”

“You stop it,” Zuko told her, but the scolding didn’t stick due to the wide smile on his face. 

When they finally arrived home, Zuko realized that Mai and Ty Lee might still be expecting Izumi home tonight, and he unlocked the phone to text them, when he saw a message from an unknown number. His heart skipped a beat as he read it.

_Hey, it’s Sokka :) Senna stole something of yours, she said it was a present for me, but I assume you’ll want it back._

Attached to the message was a picture of Senna, looking just as smug as Izumi had been looking the whole ride home, and in her hand she held his necklace. Zuko looked down by force of habit, completely forgetting that he had taken it off for the toddler to play with hours ago. In the background of the picture is Varrick, who is smirking and giving a thumbs up to the camera with much more confidence than an eight-year-old should possess. 

Zuko smiled as he typed a quick reply.

_Yeah, Senna said it was something you would like, and Aang told her she should give it to you as a present. Apparently, she’s a good listener._

The reply came almost immediately.

_I suppose this means we simply have to go out sometime soon. I need to return your necklace after all._

Zuko smiled widely.

_Yes... I suppose we do._

**Author's Note:**

> thanks so much for reading, i hope you enjoyed it!!  
> i honestly really loved writing this, a bitch could be convinced to turn this into a series lmao so if you want more of this universe, let me know 👀  
> as always, please let me know your thoughts if you feel so inclined, and i hope to see you again soon!!  
> -tay  
> EDIT: i have created a series tab where i’ll put all my stories in this ‘verse, if you would like to subscribe to that to be alerted when i post next!! x


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